From 1824 to the present day
February 14 2025From the École royale forestière to AgroParisTech
In 2025, AgroParisTech will celebrate the bicentenary of the École forestière de Nancy. Two centuries of commitment to teaching and scientific research on forestry and the management of natural resources.
1824 – 1852 – École royale forestière
The École royale forestière (Royal Forestry School) was founded in Nancy by the ordinance of August 26, 1824, with the aim of replacing a questionable system of appointing foresters with a very random training system. It was born out of the desire of Jacques Joseph Baudrillart to base the training of state foresters on science: “Science was in the books and blind routine administered the forests” (J.J. Baudrillard, 1825). It began operating on January 1st, 1825 with Bernard Lorentz, former secretary of the general forestry inspectorate of the department of Mont-Tonnerre, as its first director. The school was located at 11 rue des Jardins (now rue Drouin) for two years, then moved to 14 rue Girardet in November 1827, in the mansion with the wooded park built by Claude Mique, Stanislas’ architect.
Students were recruited by direct competition until 1889. Subsequently, and by an ordinance of October 21, 1830, the school’s recruitment was carried out among the students of Polytechnique.
The École forestière welcomed its first international students in 1832, offering the only alternative to German schools. The recruitment of its international students enabled it to spread its knowledge throughout the world, and France served as a model for the creation of several foreign forestry services.
1853 – 1873 – École impériale forestière
With the changes in the political regime, its name was then changed to the École impériale forestière in 1853.
1873 – 1898 – École nationale forestière
In 1873, its name was changed again and it became the École nationale forestière.
By a decree of May 6, 1882, it also became a training schoolfor the National Agronomic Institute (Institut national agronomique - INA). In the same year, a decree of February 27 created the Research and Experimentation Station, the first forestry research institution in France. It was set up in the forestry school of Nancy, under the responsibility of the school’s director. The professors contributed actively to this and participated in the creation in 1892 of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (’Union Internationale des Instituts de Recherches Forestières - IUFRO), which is still active today, at the initiative of their German, Swiss and Austrian colleagues.
1898 – 1964 – École nationale des eaux et forêts
By decree of October 15, 1898, its name was changed once again to the National School of Water and Forestry.(École nationale des eaux et forêts).
In 1899, fishing and fish farming were added to its scope of action.
1965 – 2007 – École nationale du génie rural, des eaux et des forêts (ENGREF)
On the decision of the Minister of Agriculture Edgar Pisani, it merged in 1965 with the National School of Rural Engineering (created in 1918) and became the National School of Rural Engineering, Water and Forestry (École nationale du génie rural, des eaux et forêts- ENGREF). It then trained the new Rural, Water and Forestry Engineers (Ingénieurs du Génie Rural, des Eaux et des Forêts-IGREF).
From 1986, it diversified its activities by creating a research center on the tropical forest in Kourou, a center dedicated to water and the Mediterranean forest in Montpellier and a site specializing in regional planning in Clermont-Ferrand.
In 1990, ENGREF absorbed the National School of Water and Forestry Engineering (École Nationale des Ingénieurs des Travaux des Eaux et Forêts-ENITEF), located in Nogent-sur-Vernisson in the Loiret, and then welcomed the new Forestry Engineering Training (Formation des Ingénieurs Forestiers-FIF) in Nancy.
2007 – AgroParisTech
In 2007, the Institut national agronomique-Paris-Grignon (INA-PG), the École nationale du génie rural, des eaux et des forêts (ENGREF) and the École nationale supérieure des industries agricoles et alimentaires (ENSIA) merged to form AgroParisTech.
Today, the AgroParisTech campus in Nancy offers executive training (engineering, master’s, doctorate) and multidisciplinary research that is unique in France and recognized throughout the world, focusing on knowledge and sustainable management of forests, wood as a material and energy source, urban and rural trees, and management of natural environments.